MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine government seized the mountain headquarters of the country's largest Muslim rebel group, but the capture of a television evangelist by another band of Islamic extremists shows how difficult it will be to silence the secessionist movement.

Members of the Abu Sayyaf movement seized evangelist Wilde Almeda and his entourage last week after they trooped to the rebels' jungle lair on Jolo island. The group had hoped to persuade the rebels to free 20 mostly foreign hostages seized from a Malaysian...